This is a fast, reasonably fun read that you really shouldn’t think about too hard. I do want to reassure you that the romance is between a man and a woman, not a man and a dog.
Good Boy is a spin off of Him and Us, and is apparently the first in a new series about the Toronto Maple Leafs. I think one other thing we should all acknowledge, this clearly takes place in an alternate universe where the Toronto Maple Leafs are a team that is likely to go to the play offs.
We met Blake Riley in Us as the lovable, overgrown puppy of a man who strained Wes and Jamie’s relationship by imposing his friendship on them. Blake doesn’t initially come off as all that smart, but he shows himself to be observant, compassionate and generous. Jessie is Jamie’s sister, the family screw up, who had a sexy escapade with Blake and then felt guilty about it. Blake wants to continue having sexy times with Jessie, but no relationship. Jessie doesn’t want anything to do with Blake. Through a series of sexual escapades and being forced into proximity by their relationships with Wes and Jamie, Blake and Jess evolve into friends, then lovers, then into a relationship. Blake becomes less annoying as he shifts from stalkerish bone partner to boyfriend. If you read it on a surface level, it’s a couple of hours of pleasant escape.
Ok, but don’t look too closely. Because the major external conflict is chock a block full of internalized misogyny. Spoiler after the shark.
Blake is a shallow skirt chaser because his ex-girlfriend tried to trap him by claiming to be pregnant when she was not. She’s been lying for years, claiming that she had a miscarriage and then Blake dumped her. She’s also a clingy stalker who won’t let go. And for some reason Blake lets her. It makes no fucking sense. It’s also an entirely unnecessary bit of drama. I had a few moments where I was grateful that she wasn’t a skanky ho. There was at least one brief and also unnecessary appearance of a skanky ho and that was annoying. I sure am tired of the Other Women are Bitches trope. Can we just not?
I saw the cover and your title and really did think for a moment that it was a romance book between a man and his dog LOL. That cover is hilarious for a romance!
There are tangential dogs, and an animal shelter charity in the book. I’m not sure if the animal shelter charity is going to get bigger play in the next book, which is also a picture of a shirtless man and dog, or if the cover dogs are supposed to indicate that these tough hockey players are softies on the inside.
I think you really hit the nail on the head re not thinking too hard about this one. I agree that the ex-girlfriend stuff was unnecessary – Jess’ hesitance and career/school issues would have been enough conflict for me, I don’t think Blake needed Reasons (especially such a ridiculous one) to not want a relationship.
The bit that I’m most conflicted about is Blake’s behaviour. I loved Him and Us and I really liked Blake in Us. I still like him, for the most part, in Good Boy… with caveats. Jess tells him more than once that she’s not interested, but he keeps pushing. I’m re-reading it at the moment and he’s decided at least once that he knows what she’s really thinking. None of it is done maliciously (for want of a better term), and as readers we know that Jess doesn’t see his persistence as threatening, but that doesn’t matter – if she’s telling you no, you don’t get to tell her that you know she really means yes. I don’t mind a hero in pursuit, but I thought his “bulldozer” approach was too much.
Yes. Stalker Blake was not great. It was consistent with his behavior in Us, where he just assumes Wes and Jamie are happy to have him over all the time.
Glad to be reassured about there being no bestiality :D
So, if someone is delusional enough to believe that the Leafs have a playoff shot this year, does that put them in a good headspace to overlook the less-than-stellar parts of the plot? #askingforafriend
(This normally isn’t my go-to type of book, but I bleed TML blue and white… so I’m intrigued)
It was an enjoyable read. You might also like their previous book Us, in which Wes becomes the NHL’s first openly gay hockey player and the Leafs get into the playoffs, but don’t win the Cup.
Thank you for the immediate reassurance because I was very much https://giphy.com/gifs/xNRBrdEaYym76
The pose is weirdly intimate.
I now could read your review! I totally can see it as an escape, but it just pushed too many buttons for me. And thank you for touching on the monster ex. I could only rage on so much.
When I read your review, I realized I had blanked out a lot of Blake’s problematic behavior. I guess that’s my own internalized misogyny.